


The Universe and Time

by iginita



Category: Back to the Future (Movies)
Genre: M/M, Translation, everything gets dark real quick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-05-05 00:18:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5353724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iginita/pseuds/iginita
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clara Clayton gets to know what happens when you go against Time, Space and one certain boy</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Universe and Time hate runaways

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Вселенная и Время](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/161138) by Лев Джон. 



The Universe hates those who disrupt the flow of Time. Time hates those who break its course. 

Doc should have remembered that. He’s a genius, for hell’s sake. The genius who invented a freaking time machine. But the only thing he remembered was the scent of a lavender twig with the name of a humble teacher Clara. He didn’t remember about all the rage of the space-time continuum that hates runaways from their eras.

But Marty remembers. He distinctively remembered every time he got beaten up by one of the numerous versions of Tannen. Remembered how his brother and sister faded, what it feels like to fade himself. He remembered all the times when for a few minutes – horrible, appalling, fearful minutes – he thought he lost Doc forever. The Universe was punishing him. Every fucking time.  
That’s why Marty remembered and Doc didn’t. That’s why he brought that damned Jules Verne lover that should’ve died in 1885 back to the future. To their 1985. He promised he wouldn’t let his feeling get the best of him. And Marty, that silly boy, believed him. He believed him because when Doc asked him to get rid of the almanac he did it, regretfully so, but he still did. Because Doc asked. Yet Emmett couldn’t give Clara up. And yes, deep in his soul Marty hated her for how fast she got into Doc’s heart. His Doc. With whom he spent several years together and to whom he was devoted to no end. Genius scientist who so easily gave his heart to a woman he knew for a few short days. He let her see the DeLorean, he let her see 1985, he let her see his heart.

Marty McFly hated Clara Clayton. The Universe hated Clara Clayton. Time hated Clara Clayton.

Clara Clayton was destined to die in 1885 and give her name to the ravine, but instead she wound up in 1985 where she didn't belong. For that there will be punishment to everyone involved, and Clara herself would regret the spooked horses didn't bring her to the cliff fast enough.


	2. The Universe and Time don’t forgive those who sin against them

Jennifer laughs and says that Doc is looking at Clara the same way Marty looks at Doc. Marty laughs it off and takes her to the cinema. They watch a horror film about Freddy, during jump scares Jennifer yelps and clings to McFLy. They kiss, and Marty thinks he can hear Space crackling menacingly with small lightings. Time is humming in his chest, doesn’t let him relax and enjoy the warmth of the girl’s body next to him. He pulls away and smiles nervously, trying to cover his fear when Jennifer looks at him disappointedly. Something bad is bound to happen.

When Clara smiles at him sweetly and explains, "Emmett isn't home, he's so busy! I’m catching up with the technical progress you’ve made so he went to the store to bring me a few great inventions of your age. He promised to show me some Ray Bradbury. Very nice of him, don't you think?" Marty's chest burns with the Universe and Time's fury. He sees, feels, knows that Clara will die a painful death. He knows it'll happen very soon. He sees her crying bloody tears and her clothes melting down in a black mess. Marty smiles back and leaves as soon as possible to soothe the hum in his whole body.

Marty runs into Doc by accident. McFly is just wandering around on the mall's parking lot, longingly reminiscing the time when Emmett Lathrop Brown belonged to him and science only. Doc is leaving the Lone Pine with huge paper packets and a happy smile. He doesn't notice Marty until he doesn't walk to Doc himself and throws almost forgotten "hi, Doc". Instead of fire in his chest there's an ice desert. Cold. Their conversation is dull and meaningless. Doc is in a hurry and Marty can't bring himself to smile. He has a feeling that instead of Clara Clayton he is the one who is dying. He has a feeling that would be even better.

A week later Clara's got a fever. She's delirious and begs for forgiveness the Universe and, for some reason, Marty. Poor Clara, oh so poor, she's crying the whole time she's conscious, she howls and begs to stop the furious scream in her head. Emmett sits at her bed every night, trying to relieve her agony; the doctors can't help her anymore. The blood vessels in her eyes are broken, and when Marty finally visits the dying woman and sees torn up flesh he knows the monsters inside him have calmed down. They purr in satisfaction, seeing how fragile body shakes and convulses with crying. Marty is scared because he knows he likes this sight more than anything. That the Universe and Time found home in his hatred to this woman and that with his help they killed her.

He is not sorry at all.


	3. The Universe and Time might be gracious to those who act at their behest

Clara Clayton dies with tears and blood in her eyes, voice gone and arms torn to the bone. 

The Universe is still clouding Marty’s mind, cracking with lightning bolts around his head. Time still lives in his chest, lulls him to sleep at night when he can’t do it on his own due to the scent of lavender blooming under his window. 

Emmett is remembering what he was playing with so recklessly. Remembering that time travel doesn’t tolerate any weakness. That his love to a pretty woman scientist was indeed his greatest weakness for which he paid. So Emmett continues to remember. He remembers everything. Marty’s pleading look, begging for help. Bags under his eyes and forced smile. Shaking hands and ragged breath. His… absence. When was the last time kid stayed at his place since Clara’s appearance? Two weeks, month ago? When was the last time he just stayed near, whistling some melody while Doc created something new and incredibly brilliant? The answers to these questions were scary. Just as scary as what is behind all of this. As realization. Marty left, leaving Doc alone with his happiness. And that was killing the boy just the same as the fever that burned Clara alive. He left Marty alone with his thoughts, with knowledge of all his mistakes made in this and many other realities, and thus he doomed him to insanity. And this was all his fault. 

This time Emmet is the first one to come to the parking lot. He stays there until it’s dark, looks at the stars and tries to understand when everything went to hell. When he first created DeLorean? When he took Marty to their first adventure? When he helped him time travel, twice? When he first met him? When he met Clara? Or when he couldn’t decide between two of them and took them both to the future?  
When Marty comes, broken and exhausted, Doc rushes to him, unable to just look at him. Marty goes limp in his arms and calms down, like there was an iron rod in his body that didn’t let him to live and think normally and it’s finally gone. His eyes are clouded, as if he was in a great pain, and his fingers are trembling when he clutches Doc’s coat. His lips are cold and his tongue is warm and he tastes like wormwood. Doc thinks that’s how madness and desperation taste like. Then he finally understands when everything went wrong. Everything started when he made the wrong choice and hurt Marty, and, apparently, he wasn’t the only one who protected the boy. 

The couch in Doc’s garage creaks under them the same way like under dying Clara. Marty thoroughly enjoys the sound and kisses Doc again. He’s fine, he’s great, the lightnings haloing his head are gone, just as the hum in his chest. All he had to do is to cave in to his desires, and the beasts inside him calmed down and left, approving. 

In the end, Marty wound up as not only Emmet’s Brown lover, but the Universe and Time’s as well, and they only reminded of themselves when the damn lavender was blooming again.


End file.
